Third to edward h



(No Moldel.) 2 Sheets- Sheet v1.

. L. A. GUOPBVR.

BICYCLE.

No. 538,238- Pa'temedApr, So, 1895.

L. A. COOPER.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

BICYCLE.

Nrrn 'rares LESLIE A. COOPER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO EDWARD H. WILKINSON, OF SAME PLACE.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,238, dated. April 30` 1895. Application filed May 31I 1894- Serial No. 512,994. (No model.)

.To all. whom it may concern: Similar characters of reference indicate v Be 1t known .that I, LEsLiE A. COOPER, a corresponding parts in all of the views. citizen ofthe Un1tedStates,residingat Spring- A represents the crank-shaft having its field, in the county of Hampden and State of bearings as usual in the bracket, or hanger, 55 5 Massachusetts, have invented new and use- B. This crankshaft has the spur gear, O, y ful Improvements in Bicycles, of which the keyed,or otherwiseimmovably tlxed,thereon. following is a specification.. D represents the annular part which out- This invention forimprovements in velociwardly is constructed with the teeth, a, to pedes particularlyrelates to improvements in constitute the sprocket wheel, while nter- 6o 1o speed and power driving mechanism which nally this part has the continuous series of may be shifted from the ordinarily high drivteeth whereby this part also becomes a circular ing speed to a lower speed with greater power, rack or internal gear. This sprocket and in and vice Versa. ternal gear is concentric with, and in the plane An object of the invention is to so improve of rotation of, the said crankshaft-gear, O. 65 the speed and power driving mechanism that G` represents an annular part which very when running at the usual higher speed all loosely surrounds the hanger, B, inside of the parts of the gear will move as one, and hence gears, C and D, and this part G carries on its there will be no extra part relatively to which side three pairs of pinions, j", g. One pinion, the usual driving mechanism moves that will f, of each pair is in mesh with the internal 7c zo become an element of friction. gear, D, while the other pinion, g, of the pair Another object of the invention is to attain is in mesh with the spur-gear, C, and with the in the mechanism compactness, simplicity, pinion, f, the two being necessary so that roand the inclusion of a comparatively small tations of the crank-shaft and gear, D, will number of partei, and the avoidance of matecause, when permitted on the proper shifting rial additional weight; and a still further adof the mechanism through the rotations of vantage arising consists in the adaptability the pinions, the turning of the internal gear of the mechanism to any of the ordinary types` and sprocket-wheel in the same direction. of bicycles. Within the hub of the carrier, G, is the slid- To these ends the invention consists in the ing sleeve, I-I. The carrier, G, has internally 8c construction and combination of parts, all the wide grooves, or apertures, d, extending substantially as will hereinafter fully appear through from end to end of the hub of such and be set forth in the claims. part, G, while the sleeve, H, has, externally, Reference Ais to be had to the accompanying the separated wide ribs, or teeth, h, which drawings, in whichslide with a free 't through said grooves, d, 85

Figure l is a horizontal section taken lon so that the carrier and sleeve must aty all times gitudinally through the crank-shaft and its turn in unison. The inner end face of the bracket, or hanger and also centrally spur-gear which is xed on the crank-shaft is through the improved mechanism which is constructed to have a clutch engagement with applied at this part of the bicycle. Fig. la is the said sliding collar,-when the collar is slid 9o 4e a perspective View showing on the bicycle outwardly,-by reason of the endwise projecframe, which is in part illustrated, the lever tions, h, h, which may engage between the iufor shifting the change gear. Fig. 2 is a secternal teeth or lugs, j, j, of the said collar. tional view across the bracket and crank- The said collar, moreover, by reason of the shaft on line 2 2, Fig. 1, with the parts outsaid teeth, or lugs, j, j, which are at its end 95 side of the plane of section seen in face view. nearer the inner face of the gear,vO, will,-

Fig. 3 is an outer face view of the gearing. when the collar is slid to its inward limit have Fig. 4. is a perspective view of a part herein interengaging relations with the outstanding termed the carrier, of a spur gear to be xed teeth, k, at the external peripheryI of the on the hub and of a member of a clutch debracket or crank-shaft support, B. 10o 5c vice which parts will be hereinafter more par Now noting, for instance, Fig. l, in con j uncticularly referred to. A tion with the description given, it will be apparent that the sleeve may have any one of three positions, accordingly as the sleeve-op erating lever is manipulated, that is, first, the sleeve may have the position shown when the sleeve and pinion carrier, C, will be out of clutch with both the bracket and the spurgear, and in this case the cranks might be turned without effect on the sprocket-wheel, or the sprocket wheel may turn, as in coasting, without effect to turn the cranks, tor the cranks being held stationary by the feet ou the pedals, the sprocket and carrier may rove around on the spur-gear, C, without any practical effect; secondly, the sleeve may be slid axially outward to be placed into a clutch engagement with the teeth, h, ot' the spur-gear and now the pinion carrier, G, is as one with the spur-gear, C, and the rotations of the crankshaft by the pedal cranks WHL-through the medium of the now immovable pinions which n nder said conditions serve as spokes between the crank and internal gear, be prevented, the spur gear being regarded as the hub from which the spokes practically radiate,-where upon, of course, the power imparted through the pedal to the crank-shaft causes the movement in unison with such shaft of the internalsprocket, D, and, thirdly, the sleeve, H, may be slid axially in the other direction to place the pinion-carrier in clutch With a stationary part of the bicycle, that is, in this in stance with the toothed bracket. New the rotations ofthe crank-shaft and its spurgear, (l, etleet the rotations of the pinions, and through them of the internal gear and spreckctwheel, D. New, of course, the com-- plete rotations of the crank-shaft will have to ellcet only such parts of rotations ofthe wheel, D, as the number of teeth ot' gear, C, is fractional of the number of teeth comprised in the sprocket-gear, and with this reduced speed is derived correspondingly increased power.

New, in the device which has been thus far described, it is deemed advantageous to so set up the revoluble, or rotating parts that the spur-gear, C, supports the gears, g, which in turn support gears, f, which again form the bearings for the internal gear, all in such a manner that the weight, or strain, of the parts is not upon, or borne by, the teeth of the respective gears. Thus it will be seen that each gear, C,f, g, or internal gear, D, has its side t'ace,-or opposite side faces,-rabbeted, as seen at m, on which rabbeted part is shrunk on, or otherwise secured, the ring, m, the smooth outer edge ot' which is exactly coincident with the pitch circle ofthe gear on which the ring is placed.

The pinions,fand g, which are carried by the carrier, G, are journaled and have ballbearings in the following manner: The journal-sttul,1f,tor each of the pinions is, as clearly seen in Fig. l, provided with theintermediate enlargement, its stem-like part at each extremity being screw-threaded. The larger screwthreaded end portion is set through the perforation in the carrier, G, and held With its shoulder hard against the face of the carrier, by the nut, 152. rlhe circular corner of the shoulder of the stud, opposite that which lies against the carrier is beveled, or chamfered as seen at t3, to form one member ot the ballbearing between which and the cone-nut, a, which screws on the smaller screw-threaded stem-like extremity ofthe stud, t, are comprised the hardened balls, e. The pinions are internally formed with the peripheral grooves orball-races,as seen at w. The balls may serve to hold the pinions in place on the journalstud, so long as they are prevented from being displaced by the said cone-nut, n.

It will furthermore be observed on reference to Fig. l that the bracket, B, has within its cupped end a series et balls, y, which stand between the radially outermost peripheral part of the cup formed ball-way, a', and the crank-shaft. The said balls are ot' a size relative to the depth of the ball-way and bracket as to stand endwise beyond the bracket and against the inner face of the spur gear, C, which rotates in unison with the crank-shaft and which is in proximityto the end ol the bracket; and these balls therefore perform the double bearing duty, as is obvious.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a bicycle, the combination with the crank-shaft bracket, and the crank-shaft having a gear Wheel fixed thereon, of an annular carrier loosely surrounding the bracket and being Without frictional contact thereupon, and having several pairs of intermeshing pinions, one of each pair gearing into the crankshaft gear, the internal gear widely surrounding the crankshaft gear and meshing with the outerones of the several'pairs of pinions, and it and said annular carrier receiving their IOO entire support through said pairs of pinions,

primarily from the shaft-gear, aclutch sleeve loosely surrounding the bracket and adapted fora spline-like engagement with said pinion carrier and having teeth or projections which in one position of the sleeve engage the bracketand in the other position of the sleeve engage the crank-shaft gear and means for operating the sleeve, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a bicycle, the combination with the bracket and crank-shaft having the gearwheel, C, the combined sprocket-wheel and internal gear, D, concentrically surrounding the gear-wheel, C, the annular carrier, Gr, widely and loosely surrounding said bracket and having its position to one side of the internal-gear-andsprocket, and having the studs, t, fixed upon and extended sidewise from the said annular carrier, within the internal gear, and having the screw-threaded stem, at the base of which is the shoulder or cone to form onemember of a ball-bearing, the internally peripherally grooved pairs ot' intermeshing pinions set upon said studs, and meshing with the internal gear andthe crankshaft gear, the balls and the cone-nuts, u, screwing on said stems against the balls and the clutch-sleeve, H, and means for operating it, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a bicycle, the Vcombination with the crank-shaft bracket, and the crank-shaft having a gear-Wheel fixed thereon which is constructed at one or both side faces thereof with rims in circles coincident with the pitch-line, of an annular carrier loosely surrounding the bracket and being Without frictional contact thereupon, and having several pairs of intermeshing pinions, all with similar pitch-line circular rims at their sides, one of each pair gearing into the crank-shaft gear, the internal gear wid ely surrounding the crank-sh aft gear and meshing with the outer ones of the several pairs of pinions and having at the sides of its teeth the pitch-line circular rim, said internal gear and the annular carrier receiving their support entirely and solely through said so rimmed pairs of pinions primarily from the shaft-gear, a clutch sleeve loosely surrounding the bracket and adapted for a spline-like engagement with said pinion carrier and having teeth or projections which in one position. of the sleeve engage the bracket and in the other position of the sleeve engage the crankshaft-gear, andimeans for operating the sleeve, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a bicycle, in combination, the crankshaft supporting bracket, B, having the eX- ternal teeth, le, the crank-shaft, A, having the spur-gear Wheel, C, fixed thereon next outside of the end of said bracket, and having on its inner side face the inwardly projecting lugs, h, the combined sprocket-Wheel and internal gear, D, concentrically surrounding the gear, C, the annular carrier, G, having Within its hub opening the apertures, d, which extend parallel With its axis, and carrying the several pairs of meshing pinions Which also mesh with the said crank-shaft gear, C, and the internal gear, and which constitute solely and entirely the means of support for the said annular carrier and internal gear primarily from the crank-shaft gear, the slide-collar, H, movable endWise upon the bracket and having externally a spline-engagement with the said carrier, G, having the internal lugs,j, to engage those, h, of the crank-shaft gear and having projections to engage the said bracketteeth, la, and means for moving the collar J axially, substantially as described.

LESLIE A. COOPER. Vitnesses:

WM. S. BELLoWs, K. I. CLEMoNs. 

